Jamie Carragher has delivered a scathing assessment of Liverpool following their 1-1 draw with Sunderland at Anfield, accusing the Premier League champions of 'sleepwalking' through the match. The result extends the Reds' poor run to just four wins in 14 games.
Chemsdine Talbi gave Sunderland a deserved lead in the 67th minute, before Florian Wirtz thought he had equalised, only for replays to show Nordi Mukiele got the decisive touch. Liverpool survived three scares as Trai Hume and Omar Alderete hit the woodwork, and Wilson Isidor was denied by Federico Chiesa on the line in stoppage time.
Speaking on Sky Sports, Carragher said: 'Any team that does the basics right have got a chance of winning against this Liverpool side. The Liverpool performance was so worrying. It feels like a real step backwards after winning at West Ham. They didn't look like scoring a goal, I can't remember any big chances. They are lacking energy, zip, pace and power. Really worrying.'
Former Liverpool striker Daniel Sturridge also voiced concerns, saying: 'I don't think there's a magic fix right now. I can't put my finger on one thing. Collectively, the manager doesn't quite know his best XI. This is probably the first time that I noticed the manager change what he would typically do. They have got to make a decision on what the structure is, which players he wants to go with, and roll with it.'
